Despite many companies in North America expecting a decline in shareholder value in 2011, a majority expect to pay executive bonuses that are as large as or larger than awards given at the end of 2010. Additionally, most companies plan to fund 2011 bonuses at or above target levels, reflecting strong operating results, according to a survey by consultancy Towers Watson.
The firm's Executive Pay Flash Survey was conducted in October 2011 and received responses from 265 organizations in North America, primarily midsize and large publicly traded U.S. companies. Among the findings:
• 61 percent expect their total shareholder return for 2011 to decline or remain flat.
• The same number (61 percent) expect their annual bonus pools for 2011 to be as large as or larger than those for 2010.
• 58 percent expect to fund their annual incentive plans at or above target levels based on their companies’ year-to-date performance.
• Nearly half (48 percent) expect long-term incentive plans that are tied to explicit performance conditions to be funded at or above target levels based on year-to-date performance.
“Given that many companies have seen strong financial results this year [2011], it’s no surprise that the majority of companies will fund their incentive pools at or above target levels,” said Doug Friske, global head of executive compensation consulting at Towers Watson. “However, for companies that must submit their pay programs to a shareholder vote, the prospect of above-target incentive awards combined with shareholder losses could pose complications and communication challenges as they head into the 2012 proxy season.”
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
The prospect of above-target incentive awards
combined with shareholder losses could pose
complications and communication challenges.
-- Doug Friske, Towers Watson
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Among other findings from the survey:
• The percentage of compensation committees expected to override their executive incentive plan formulas has declined sharply from 35 percent in 2008 to only 13 percent in 2011.
• Most companies expect to keep the same incentive plan measures and designs for the next performance cycle.
• One in four companies are planning to change the design of their long-term incentive plans for 2012, with the vast majority of those increasing the use of performance-based restricted stock and restricted stock/unit grants.
“In the say-on-pay world, the potential for real or perceived disconnects between executive rewards and shareholder value creation puts an even greater premium on proper incentive design, effective executive compensation disclosures and overall shareholder engagement efforts,” said Friske. “The complexity of today’s executive incentives, combined with the fact that the timing of incentive payouts and performance can vary between different forms of pay, really puts companies under the gun to make sure they have a clear and compelling rationale behind their programs.”
Stephen Miller, CEBS, is an online editor/manager for SHRM.
Related Articles:
Corporate Directors Focus on Executive Compensation, SHRM Online Compensation Discipline, December 2011
Modest Salary Growth, Tougher Goals for Executives in 2012, SHRM Online Compensation Discipline, December 2011
Companies Work to Achieve Positive Say-on-Pay Votes, SHRM Online Compensation Discipline, August 2011
Quick Links:
SHRM Online Compensation Discipline
SHRM Salary Survey Directory
SHRM Compensation Data Center
SHRM Metro Economic Outlook reports